Counterweapon Aiming for Defense of a Moving Target

Previous correspondence [1, 2] considered the problem of defending moving target by means of a counterweapon launched from the target to intercept the attacker, deriving relations between attacker-target ranges at counterweapon launch and at intercept of the attacker, and the speed capabilities of the counterweapon. The present correspondence derives the location of the intercept point in target-centered coordinates (the counterweapon aimpoint), analyzes the complicated behavior of range and bearing settings with attack geometry, and formulates the relations for determining whether any given attack can be countered under restrictions on speed or angle at which the counterweapon may be fired. Exhaustive analysis is not attempted. A simplified treatment portrays kinematic conditions which must exist if the target is to counter the attack before the target is impacted by the attacking vehicle, through the use of examples.